Education

PCSS

Provider's Clinical Support System

PCSS is a program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) created in response to the opioid overdose epidemic to train primary care providers in the evidence-based prevention and treatment of opioid use disorders and treatment of chronic pain. PCSS is made up of a coalition, led by American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), of major healthcare organizations all dedicated to addressing this healthcare crisis. Through a variety of trainings and a clinical coaching program, PCSS’s mission is to increase healthcare providers’ knowledge and skills in the prevention, identification, and treatment of substance use disorders with a focus on opioid use disorders. For more information, click here.

PCSS Resources

A resource designed to enhance prescribers’ and other health professionals’ knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding safe and effective use of medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder, and to increase the flexibility of approaches for providers working in traditional treatment models to allow implementation of the medical model of addiction management, recognizing the importance of pharmacotherapy as the most effective strategy to prevent relapse to opioid use disorder.

PCSS provides clinical coaching programs aimed at improving providers’ confidence and skills in preventing, identifying, and treating substance use disorders, opioid use disorder, and chronic pain. The PCSS program is designed to assist providers in using evidence-based practices when prescribing opioids and the effective use of medications in treating OUD. The coaching program is available at no cost to health professionals. PCSS clinical coaches are a national network of trained clinicians with expertise in addiction and pain management. Clinical coaches provide support by telephone, email, or in person if logistically possible.

PCSS offers free waiver training for providers to prescribe medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder. Eight hours of training on medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is required to obtain a waiver from the Drug Enforcement Agency to prescribe buprenorphine, one of three medications approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant nos. 5U79TI026556-02 and 3U79TI026556-02S1 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.